Death Undone
by RFK
Summary: Disaster follows in the wake of the deaths of Cole and Olivia Turner; and Piper and Wyatt Halliwell. Set after "Requiem For Magic". Chp. 7 Updated. COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

"**DEATH UNDONE"**

AUTHOR: RFK

SERIES: CHA

RATING: R – Violence, sexual situations and character death

SUMMARY: Disaster follows in the wake of the deaths of Cole and Olivia Turner; and Piper and Wyatt Halliwell. Set after "Requiem For Magic".

FEEDBACK: - Be my guest. But please, be kind.

DISCLAIMER: Cole Turner, The Charmed Ones, Leo Wyatt, Chris Halliwell and Darryl Morris belong to Constance Burge, Brad Kern and Spelling Productions. Olivia McNeill Turner, the McNeills, Andre and Cecile Morell, Artemus and Scott Yi are thankfully, my creations.

**"DEATH UNDONE"**

_Prologue_

_**Source's Realm – Alternate Dimension**_

Cole Turner aka Belthazor shimmered into the spacious cavern that served as the Source's Throne Room. Many of the Realm's upper-level daemons were there, either chatting amiably with friends or glaring at their enemies as they awaited the arrival of the Source.

"Belthazor?" The familiar voice took Cole by surprise. He whirled around and found himself facing his mother. The auburn-haired daemon regarded her only child with wide blue eyes. "What in Caspiel's name are you doing here? This is supposed to be a meeting for the Source's Council and leaders of the sects. Nimue aka Elizabeth Farrell Turner happened to be one of the sect leaders in the Thorn Brotherhood – one of twelve demonic orders within the Source's Realm.

It occurred to the half-daemon that for the first time in his life, he might be more powerful than his mother. Thanks to Olivia's theft of a more powerful Belthazor's abilities from an alternate universe, he could kill his mother or just about any other magical being. Cole stared at his mother and smiled. She gasped slightly. "Is there something wrong, Mother?" he asked lightly.

Nimue hesitated . "For a moment, you had the oddest expression on your face." She shook her head. "Never mind. What are you doing here?"

"I believe there is to be a meeting of the Source's Council," Cole replied. "Why else would I be here?"

"You're not a Council member," Nimue snapped. "Or a sect leader."

Cole's smile widened. "The day is still young."

"What do you mean by that?" Nimue briefly glanced away and her eyes widened in shock. "What in the bloody hell? Who is she?"

Cole's gaze followed his mother's. He waved at Olivia Mc Neill, his red-haired paramour, who had just entered the chamber. A smile touched her lips as she strode toward mother and son. Cole greeted the warlock with a brief kiss. "Mother, I would like you to meet Olivia McNeill."

The demoness regarded Olivia with wide eyes. "McNeill? One would mistake you for a Morgan. You're almost the spitting of . . . her."

Olivia nodded. "By _'her'_, I assume that you're referring to Briana Morgan? My illustrious ancestor?"

"Ancestor?"

"Yes, on my mother's side."

Before Nimue could continue, two male daemons appear beside the trio. One of them, a tall fair-haired man with a fleshy countenance, frowned at Cole. "Belthazor! What are you doing here? This is a meeting for Council members and sect leaders." Like Nimue, Vornac happened to be a sect leader within the Thorn Brotherhood. Cole served under his sect.

"I have information for the Source and the Council," Cole smoothly replied.

The second daemon, a dark-haired man named Raynor, glared at Cole through narrow eyes. "Then you should have reported the information to myself . . . or to Vornac. You know the rules, Belthazor." Raynor's gaze caught sight of Olivia. "And that includes inviting warlocks to the Council chambers."

A smirk appeared on Cole's lips. "Considering the origins of our fearless leaders, I did not see how anyone would protest."

"Belthazor!" his mother admonished.

At that moment, a daemon in a black suit, holding a staff, appeared before the gathering. He banged the staff on the ground three times, capturing everyone's attention. "Everyone, please take your positions!'

Raynor detached himself from the others to join the other Council members that formed a half circle around a trio of thrones. Vornac and Nimue, as sect leaders, gathered near Raynor. So did Cole and Olivia.

A burst of flames illuminated the rocky chamber. Three figures materialized in front of the thrones. Three figures that resembled dark-haired human females, dressed in similar black gowns made from silk. Cole inhaled sharply at the sight of the three Halliwell sisters. Formerly known as the Charmed Ones, they now ruled the Source's Realm. The half-daemon's eyes shifted toward the youngest sister, Phoebe. The evil bitch who had made the past year of his miserable by insisting that he become her personal stud.

The demonic adjutant banged his staff again. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he cried. "Presenting Their Majesties . . . the Source!"

Everyone inside the chamber bowed before the three leaders. The Source eased into their thrones. The oldest sister – Prue – regarded the gathering with a regal air. "The meeting of the Source's Council will come to order." She glanced at the adjutant. "What is the first subject on the agenda?"

A minion whispered a few words into the adjutant's ear. The latter cleared his throat in a pompous manner. "The first subject on the agenda involves the Fornost Order's search for the . . ."

Cole decided this would be the right moment to make a move. "Before we continue with this meeting, I have an announcement to make."

Loud gasps filled the chamber. Nimue, Raynor and Vornac regarded the half-daemon with horror. Several other daemons stepped aside, allowing the three leaders a clear view of Cole. Prue's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Exactly who are you?" she demanded.

"Cole?" Phoebe cried out in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Prue shot a glance at her youngest sister. "You know him?"

"He's a half-daemon," Phoebe continued. "From the Thorn Brotherhood. Vornac is his sect leader." Her gaze returned to Cole. "What are you doing here? You're not a Council member or a sect leader. And I haven't summoned you."

A derisive snort escaped from the middle sister's mouth. "You've summoned him before?" Piper's dark eyes regarded Cole salaciously. "I can see why."

"What do you want?" Prue demanded coolly.

Cole paused momentarily. He took a few steps toward the three sisters. "I'm here to challenge you for leadership of the Source's Realm."

More gasps followed. Raynor grabbed at Cole's arm. "Belthazor! What are you . . .?" Cole shook off the other daemon's hand.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Phoebe growled. "Who do you think . . .?"

"Shut up, Phoebe!" Prue retorted. She stared at Cole with suspicious eyes. "Belthazor obviously thinks he's powerful enough to kill us. And I can only wonder why. Especially since it's three to one."

A smirk curved Cole's lips. "Actually . . . it's three to two." At that moment, Olivia stepped forward to stand beside him.

"Who is she?" Phoebe demanded.

Prue glared at the redhead. "Olivia McNeill! Wha . . . what are you doing here? How?"

"It's a long story, Prue," Olivia coolly replied. "Unfortunately, I'm not in the mood to answer." She turned to Cole. "Let's make this reunion short." He nodded.

As the couple faced the Source, the three sisters attacked with energy balls. Cole and Olivia quickly deflected them back at the Halliwells. The energy balls bounced off the trio. "So much for your power," Piper commented snidely. "I say we kill them slow and . . ."

This time, Cole and Olivia attacked. With waves of their hands, they engulfed the sisters in red-hot flames. Screams of pain filled the chamber, until the Halliwells' bodies combusted into balls of fire. Once the fires died down, all that remained of the former Charmed Ones were piles of ash.

"They're . . ." Raynor began in a shocked voice.

Cole finished, ". . . dead." He took Olivia's hand and faced the gathering inside the chamber. "They're all dead. And now . . . there's a new sheriff in town. Namely me. With the deaths of our old leaders, I now proclaim myself as the Source and within a few days, Olivia McNeill as my queen! Does anyone have a problem with this?"

No one answered. Much to Cole's satisfaction. "Good!" The half-daemon faced the adjutant. "Now, where is the Grimoire?"

_End of Prologue  
_


	2. Chapter 1

**"DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter One_

_**The Afterlife**_

A pair of dark eyes fluttered briefly before they snapped wide open. Piper Halliwell glanced around and saw trees of different variety, scattered across a sprawling green lawn. To her left, a wide lake shimmered under the bright sun. She seemed to be in the middle of a park. Piper glanced down. And she seemed to be sitting on a black, wrought-iron bench.

What the hell was she doing at the park? Piper recalled being at the Halliwell manor . . . inside the kitchen. She had been standing near the basement's doorway, waiting for the plumber to rea . . .

"Oh my God!" The Charmed One shot to her feet. "Oh my God! I'm dead!" Now she remembered. She remembered being caught by surprise when the plumber stuck a knife into her heart. Seconds before her death, Piper watched the plumber transform into a man with graying curly brown hair that framed a U-shaped face. Darryl had been wrong about the identity of Cole and Olivia's killer. That plumber, obviously a shapeshifter, had killed them and not some alternate version of Olivia. However, she found it odd that the killer had used a gun to murder Olivia.

Piper realized that she had other matters to contemplate. For example, where exactly in the hell was she? If she was dead, why did she end up in this place and not the Whitelighters Realm? Two, her death meant that the Power of Three no longer existed. She doubt there was a second half-sister waiting in the wings to re-create the Charmed Ones. How would Phoebe and Paige deal with more powerful demons that require the Power of Three to vanquish? Help from the McNeills? Piper considered the idea and realized the family was powerful and smart enough to help her sisters. Yet, considering their reluctance to hunt and kill demons on a regular basis, Piper wondered how often they would be forthcoming in offering their help.

The biggest concern that occupied Piper's thoughts was her son. Who would take care of Wyatt? With a sigh, the Charmed One assumed that her sisters would do the job. But for some reason, Piper could not see Phoebe and Paige as surrogate mothers. Merely as indulgent aunts. And what if Leo decides to take Wyatt to the Whitelighters Realm? Piper did not know if she liked the idea of her son being raised by the Elders. The Charmed One heaved a sigh. As she prepared to sit further back into the bench, a surprise awaited her. Her son materialized on her lap, looking as bewildered as she had felt a few seconds ago. "Wyatt!" Piper encircled her arms around the toddler. "My God, Wyatt! You're dead!"

The one year-old squealed, as one of his pudgy hands grabbed Piper's sleeve. Now, the Charmed One felt truly frightened. Within a space of a week or so, someone – probably a demon – has killed three powerful witches and an even more powerful half-demon. Who would be next? One of her sisters? Both of them? The McNeills? Scott?

Feeling slightly restless, Piper stood up, gathered Wyatt into her arms and began to walk. She walked for nearly ten minutes. Upon reaching a cluster of small hedgerows, the Charmed One heard faint voices from behind one bush. Voices that sounded very familiar. She paused in her tracks. When a husky laugh reached her ears, Piper became very curious. Still holding Wyatt, she marched around the hedgerow and came upon a couple stretched next to each other on the grass, engaged in a deep kiss. Piper took one look at the woman's red curls and cried out, "Olivia?"

The couple ended their kiss. They drew apart and sat up to stare at the Charmed One. Cole's forehead crinkled into a frown. "Piper? What are you doing here?" Then his gaze fell upon the toddler. "And is that . . .?"

"Wyatt!" Olivia and Cole rose to their feet. "Goddess! Did she also kill you two?"

_She?_ Piper frowned at the couple. "Wait a minute. You mean to say that a woman had killed the both of you?"

"Who killed you and Wyatt?" Cole demanded.

Piper opened her mouth to answer, when she spotted a slender man dressed in a white linen suit approaching them. "Oh God," she murmured. "You see that guy? He almost looks like Mr. Roarke from _FANTASY ISLAND_ in that suit."

"Except Mr. Roarke wasn't black," Olivia added.

Sure enough, the newcomer possessed skin with the same color _café au lait_. His prominent cheekbones accentuated wide, dark-brown eyes. "Greetings!" the man declared. He paused before the Charmed Ones and her companions. "Welcome to the Dagda Dimension."

"The what?" Piper demanded.

The man explained that the two witches, the half-demon and Wyatt had all ended up in the afterlife. "To Wiccans such as yourselves, this place would be known as the Summer Land. A place where the spirits of the recently dead end up before being reborn or moving to another level of existence. Or, you can call it the Underworld."

"Underworld?" Piper recoiled at the word. "We're in the demons' dimension?"

A heavy sigh passed from the man's lips. Olivia coughed slightly. "Um . . . for Piper, the Underworld is the . . ."

"Yes, I perfectly understand Miss Halliwell's view on the Underworld," the man replied in a slight, caustic voice. "She believes that it is some kind of demonic dimension . . . instead of a region for the recently dead." Another sigh left his mouth. "This is going to take a while." Piper felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.

Cole asked, "What is going to take a while?"

A cryptic smile curved the man's lips. "Determining your future. Shall we go?" Before Piper and the Turners could reply, he teleported them all away from the park.

888888888888888

Ascaroth crossed the main foyer of his mistress's elegant manor and opened the front door. Before him stood Lohdon, the head of the Fornost Order. The tall and slender daemon gave the minion a nod. "Ascaroth, is Nimue available?"

"Yes, I believe she is tending her garden at the moment." Before Ascaroth could finish, the other daemon started to brush past him. "However, Nimue is not accepting any visitors at the moment."

Lohdon sighed. "I can only assume that Belthazor's death must have struck her rather hard," he commented. "Understandable. He was her son, after all." Ascaroth remained silent. Loyalty to his superior prevented him from admitting any hint of emotion on his mistress' part. Despite his death two years ago, the Source's policy regarding any display of emotion has yet to be disregarded by his former subjects.

Ascaroth politely replied, "Perhaps I can schedule a meeting for you, Lohdon. At a time when Nimue would be more availa . . ."

"I need to her. Now."

Holding back a sigh, Ascaroth allowed Lohdon inside the manor. He led the older daemon past the foyer, along a hallway, into one of the drawing rooms and past a pair of double doors that led to a stone paved terrace and the garden beyond. There, they found Nimue grimly tending a bush filled with blue Terellian roses. Ascaroth coughed slightly. "Pardon me, Nimue."

The titan-haired demoness glanced up and glared at her minion. "What is it, Ascaroth? I made it quite clear that I did not wish to be disturbed."

Lohdon stepped forward. "I let myself in, Nimue. I have some disturbing news from the mortal world."

For a long moment, Nimue stared at the brown-skinned daemon. Then she rose to her feet and wiped the soil from her hands. "What news?"

"One of the Charmed Ones is dead," Lohdon grimly announced. Ascaroth inhaled sharply. "Someone had stabbed her . . . inside the sisters' home."

Ascaroth wondered if Lohdon had just referred to Nimue's former daughter-in-law.

"You mean to say that the Power of Three is broken?" Nimue demanded. "Which sister is dead?"

Lohdon replied, "The oldest one called Piper." He paused momentarily. "Her son is also dead."

Confusion whirled in Nimue's eyes. "How is that possible? It's known that the boy possessed a deflecting ability that makes him difficult to kill." She paused. "Unless . . ."

"Unless the boy's powers were stripped. Like Belthazor." The moment Ascaroth spoke, all eyes fell upon him. Nimue seemed offended by his reminder of her son's death. "Oh, uh . . . I mean . . ."

Fortunately, both Nimue and Lohdon ignored him and continued their discussion. "You know what this means, don't you?" Lohdon added. "Sooner or later, this being – whomever he or she is – will eventually come after us."

A confused Ascaroth found the courage to speak up again. "Why?" He turned to his mistress. "No disrespect Nimue, but this killer has not come after any of us. Why should _we_ have to worry?"

As Nimue opened her mouth to respond, a tall figure materialized into the middle of the garden. Gasps filled the air. A brief second passed before a dagger appeared in Ascaroth's hand. In one fluid motion, he flung the dagger at the stranger's heart. The latter deflected the weapon with a wave of his hand and it fell to the floor.

The stranger approached the three daemons. Like them, he resembled a human – a tall and slender, pale-skinned male with close-cropped dark brown hair. His thin face was accentuated by high cheekbones and piercing pale blue eyes. His gray suit filled his figure like a glove.

"Who are you?" Nimue demanded. An energy ball formed above her right palm.

The stranger smirked. "Your magic will be ineffective against me." With a flicker of his hand, Nimue's energy ball dissipated. "Now that we have dispensed with this nonsense, we need to talk."

Nimue angrily repeated her question. "Who in the bloody hell are you?"

A long pause followed before the man coolly answered. "My name is Vadriel." Ascaroth inhaled sharply. The name struck a familiar chord in his memory. Judging from Nimue and Lohdon's reactions, they also recognized the name. Vadriel happened to be one of the dukes of dominion spirit Carnesiel. The daemon never had any previous experiences with dominion spirits or their dukes, but he was well aware that they existed on a higher plane than the average daemon – including the Source and possibly even Belthazor. The dominion spirits and their dukes did not represent good or evil. They did not take sides.

Lohdon cleared his throat. "What can we do for you?"

"I need to speak with all of you," Vadriel replied. "About an important matter."

Nimue and Lohdon exchanged wary glances. "We're all here," Ascaroth's mistress said. "What do you want?"

Vadriel added, "No. _All of you_. And that includes the remaining Halliwell witches and the McNeills. And perhaps a member or two of the Gimle Order."

"Why?" Lohdon demanded.

Before the duke could answer, a loud clang reached Ascaroth's ears. It was the bell to the manor's front door. The young daemon cleared his throat. "Pardon me." He teleported from the garden and reappeared in the manor's foyer. Upon opening the door, he found Lohdon's tall and wolfish-looking aide standing before him. Ascaroth sighed. "Guldur. Are you here for Lohdon?"

A closer look into the other daemon's eyes revealed genuine fright. The sight rattled Ascaroth. "Is Lohdon here?" the other daemon demanded in a tight voice. "I have some news."

"What news?" Ascaroth demanded.

Guldur sharply retorted, "This is urgent, Ascaroth! I need to see him now!"

Ascaroth felt a shaft of fear, as he led his colleague through the manor and toward the garden. The found Nimue, Lohdon and Vadriel sitting in lawn chairs . . . in silence. Which Ascaroth found odd.

"Lohdon, I have grave news!" Guldur declared. The two daemons and the duke stood up. Guldur continued, "Angmar of the Beren Order; Gudrún of the Gondolin Order; and the Arda Order's leader, Finwë; have all been killed! Murdered!" Both Nimue and Lohdon looked horrified by the news. Ascaroth not only felt their horror, but fear also threatened to overwhelm him. The three murdered daemons had been leaders of their demonic orders . . . and strong supporters for Lohdon's campaign to become the new Source.

Valdriel turned to Nimue and Lohdon. "Now will you do as I ask?'

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_**The Whitelighters Realm**_

Screams poured from one of the chambers within the Whitelighters Realm. Elder Natalia Stepanova and a whitelighter named Geoffrey Kwon paused in their tracks. They exchanged uneasy glances. "What was that?" Kwon demanded.

Fear tingled at the nape of Natalia's neck. "I do not know," she replied. "The scream came from Elder Odin's chambers. "I . . ."

At that moment, a tall blonde female dressed in the uniformed white robe of the whitelighters burst into the corridor. She spotted Natalia and Kwon and began to race toward them. "Elder Odin is dead! Get out! Get out no . . ."

A man with curly brown hair wearing dark clothes appeared in the corridor. An arrow stained with blood hovered above his open right hand. Before the female whitelighter could finish her warning, the dark-clad man directed the arrow into her back. She gasped aloud before falling to the ground.

"Audrey!" Kwon cried out, as he rushed toward his fallen colleague.

Natalia cried, "Geoffrey! No! Get out of here!" She raised her arm in a swift motion and attacked the intruder with a bolt of electricity. The stranger quickly lifted a hand to deflect the attack. The electrical bolt bounced back and struck Natalia in the heart.

_End of Chapter One_


	3. Chapter 2

**"DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter Two_

"She should have listened to me!"

Leo's grief-stricken voice caused Harry, along with Paige, Phoebe and Victor to stare at the fair-haired Elder. All of them sat inside the Halliwells' living room. A sigh left Phoebe's voice. "What are you talking about, Leo?"

"Piper. She should have listened to me." Leo stood up. While tears streamed from his eyes, he began to pace around the room. "I had suggested to Piper that she take Wyatt to the Whitelighters' Realm or the Magic School. To keep him safe. And her." He paused before adding, "And . . . you two girls."

"Thanks for remembering us," Phoebe retorted.

Paige wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "It would have been a waste of time, Leo. If the killer has Cole's powers, the Elders wouldn't have been able to protect us."

"But we don't . . ."

"Oh, for God's sake, Leo!" Victor's outburst drew stares from Paige and the others. The Halliwells' father continued to rant, "Can't you just accept the fact that your precious whitelighters can't protect everyone? They couldn't help Patty! They couldn't help Prue, Piper or . . . or Wyatt! And quite frankly, I rather doubt that any of you can help Phoebe and Paige!"

Leo's face turned red. "You're blaming the whitelighers for Piper and Wyatt's deaths? None of us had killed her, Victor! I would move heaven and earth to save my son and my wife!"

"Ex-wife!" Victor shot back. "Or have you forgotten that you had walked out on _'your'_ family, last summer?"

Annoyed by the two former in-laws' squabbling, Harry lost his temper. "Hey! That's enough! People we love are being killed, and you two can only express yourselves with this stupid bitchfest! Enough! Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed.

The red coloring on Leo's face deepened. Looking slightly askance, Victor Bennett opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it when several blue lights appeared in the living room. Seconds later, two men materialized before the room's present occupants. Harry recognized one of the men as Gideon, the Elder who administered the whitelighters' Magic School. He did not recognize Gideon's companion.

"Gideon!" Leo turned away from his former father-in-law to greet his fellow colleague. "What are you doing here?"

Looking extremely pale, the thin-faced Gideon merely shook his head. The other whitelighter merely stared ahead with tears streaming down his cheeks. Harry felt tempted to read the whitelighter's thoughts. But Gideon answered Leo's question before he could act. "They're gone," he said in a hoarse voice. "They're . . . all gone. All of them."

"What are you talking about?" Leo demanded. "Who's gone?"

Unable to speak, Gideon merely shook his head. Harry dismissed any rules his parents had imposed upon him about invading the thoughts of others and decided to read Gideon's mind. What he saw filled him with horror. Scenes of whitelighters being shot down by darklighters and robed Elders being killed by a middle-aged man with curly dark brown hair filled Harry's mind. "Oh my God," the young witch murmured. "They're all dead. Everyone in the Whitelighters Realm." He stared at Gideon and the whitelighter. "Except for those two."

"No, you're wrong!" Leo exclaimed, shaking his head. "That's not possible." He turned to Gideon. "Am I right? They're not all dead. Right? We're not the only whitelighters left alive. Right?"

The senior Elder sat down in one of the living room's armchairs with a heavy sigh. "There are probably some whitelighters here in the mortal world." He paused, as he glanced away. "But all of those in the Whitelighters Realm _are_ dead. And we . . . you and I . . . we're the only two Elders still alive."

Horror filled Leo's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but not a sound left his mouth. Instead, he stumbled backward, until his body reached the sofa's edge and he sat down.

"What are we going to do?" Paige demanded. "Leo? Gideon? What are we going to do about the remaining whitelighters? A lot of witches are going to be in danger!"

Leo stared at his former sister-in-law with wet eyes. "Do what, Paige? What can we do? The Whitelighter Realm barely exists anymore. Olivia is dead. So is Cole. And so are . . ." He broke into loud sobs. Phoebe joined him on the sofa and began to cry, herself. A stone-faced Victor merely left the living room.

Neither Gideon or the young whitelighter seemed capable of answering Paige's question or doing anything. "Well, somebody do something!" Harry retorted. He removed his cell phone from his jacket pocket. "I'm going to call the house. Let them know that we're coming." He pushed the speed-dial button for the McNeill manor. The line rang seven times before the recorded voice of Davies, the family's manservant, answered:

"_You have reached the phone number of the McNeill residence. Please leave your name, telephone number and the name of the person you wish to whom you wish to speak after the sound of the beep."_

Harry frowned. Something must be wrong. His family had been at the manor, when he left two hours ago. They planned to remain behind to discuss the matter of Piper and Wyatt's killer. He disconnected the line. "I don't get it. Someone should have answered."

"What's wrong?" Paige demanded.

"No one is answering the phone," Harry replied. "Yet, no one had planned to leave today. Including Cecile and Andre. I wondered what happened."

* * *

Sounds of explosions and terror filled the McNeill manor's west drawing-room. A frightened Cecile Morell ducked behind a sofa to avoid the energy ball hurling toward her. The Vodoun priestess peeked around the sofa's edge and saw a man with curly dark-brown hair – possibly a demon – kill Mr. McNeill with a fireball. Her gaze then fell upon a blond demoness, hurling an energy ball at her. It destroyed the sofa's edge, as Cecile pulled back in relative safety.

A strong hand gripped Cecile's arm, causing her to jump out of her skin. "Cecile!" It was Andre. She sighed with relief. "Let's get out of here! Now!"

"And go where?" Cecile demanded. "Back to New Orleans? What if we're followed?"

Andre opened his mouth to speak, when his eyes widened in horror. "Get back!" He pushed Cecile behind him and flung out his right hand. Cecile saw a third energy ball zoom toward them. Then it changed course and zoomed back at the blond demoness, who had flung it. The energy ball struck her squarely in the chest, incinerating her on the spot.

"Where are we going?" Cecile insisted.

"Find Harry and the Halliwells," Andre sharply replied. "We need to . . ." Red flames engulfed the Vodoun priest before he quickly became a pile of ash.

A horrified Cecile cried out, "Andre!"

The curly-haired man smiled at Cecile. "Was he someone special to you? I'm sorry. Perhaps you can join him." He rose one hand.

A bolt of lightning hurled toward Cecile. She cried in Fon, "Deflect!" The lightning changed course and zoomed back toward the stranger. But he quickly raised his palm and the lightning once again raced toward Cecile. A strong, yet slender hand gripped her arm. A strange sensation gripped her before she found herself in the middle of the Halliwells' living room. "What the . . .?" She glanced at the hand of her savior. Who turned out to be Nimue, Cole's mother.

* * *

Paige stared at the newcomers with shock. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"We . . ." Cecile began. She shuddered and took a deep breath. "There was an attack . . ." She broke off and sat next to Phoebe.

A tight-faced Harry brushed past Paige and demanded, "What happened? Is my family all right? I couldn't get through to anyone."

Cole's mother replied in a heavy voice, "That's because they're all dead. All of them. The McNeills, the servants, Lohdon . . ." She paused momentarily before she added in a melancholy voice, ". . . and Ascaroth. They're dead." The demoness slowly eased her body in an empty chair.

"And Andre," Cecile added before she burst into tears. Phoebe quickly enveloped the grieving Vodoun priestess into a tight hug.

Paige turned to Harry, whose face had grown considerably pale. Here merely stared ahead, barely conscious of the others that surrounded him. "Harry?" The youngest Charmed One approached her boyfriend with trepidation. "Harry, are you . . .?" She broke off, as he burst into tears. Following Phoebe's example, Paige gathered Harry into her arms.

Another sigh left Gideon's mouth. "I realize that we've all experienced a great deal of . . . trauma. But we need to know what is going on." He faced Nimue with suspicious eyes. "What exactly were you doing at the McNeills' home in the first place?"

Nimue slowly lifted her face, revealing red-rimmed eyes. "To help Artemus kill the others. He needed me to remove the McNeills' protection spell," she replied sarcastically.

"You seem to find all of this a joke," Gideon retorted.

The demoness shot back,"No! Just your tone! What exactly are you suggesting? That I'm responsible for what happened to Olivia's family?"

"Then what happened?"

"Artemus." The name struck a familiar chord within Paige. "Where have I heard that name before?"

Harry wiped away the last of his tears. "I know I have," he said with a sniff. "From Cole. This Artemus is supposed to be the head of a demonic order." He frowned at Nimue. "But I thought he was in some kind of prison."

"The Stygian Abyss," Nimue corrected. "Years ago, Artemus used to be head of the Khorne Order, until he managed to anger the Source. I forgot what he had done. I do know that the Source had him imprisoned in the Stygian Abyss nearly thirty years ago. Apparently, he had escaped. How, I do not know."

A deep voice added, "With the help of a very gullible prison guard, of course." All eyes, including Paige's, riveted upon a man of medium height with a U-shaped face and dark curly brown hair. Cecile let out a gasp, as he faced Cole's mother. "Nimue. As you and the mambo can see, you cannot escape me."

"Artemus!" Nimue swiftly rose to her feet.

Gideon also stood up, as he barked, "Leo!" The two Elders immediately attacked the demon. Paige's eyes widened at the sight of bolts of lightning streaming from their hands. Unfortunately, their attack proved to be futile. The lightning merely bounced off the demon's chest . . . before striking the pair dead.

"Leo!" Phoebe cried in horror. "You son-of-a . . ." Artemus waved one hand in Phoebe's direction and she disappeared in a column of flames.

Stunned by the deaths of Phoebe and Leo, a stunned Paige stared at the spot where her sister previously stood. Harry immediately grabbed her arm and said, "C'mon. Let's get out of here." He also grabbed Cecile.

"I believe that Miss Matthews will find it difficult to teleport from this house," the demon said with a smirk. "I am blocking her."

Paige tried to orb out of the manor, but found herself unable to do so. "I'm stuck!" she cried, while trying to fight her growing panic. "I can't move!"

"Of course not," Artemus coolly replied. "Like I said, I'm blocking you." He turned to Cole's mother. "I'm willing to spare you, Nimue. If you'll consider supporting my bid for the Source's throne. You might as well do so. Your champion, Lohdon, is dead."

The demoness glared at Artemus. "I'm not in the habit of swearing loyalty to my son's killer!"

"I never touched a hair on Belthazor's head."

"Yet, I suspect that you were somehow involved," Nimue shot back. "Weren't you?"

The demon opened his mouth. "Well, all I did was hand over some vital information to a certain warlock from an alternate dimension. She was the one who . . ."

At that moment, Nimue's eyes glowed red. Then rays of light shot from those eyes and struck Artemus in the chest. The impact of Nimue's attack sent her fellow demon flying back against one of the living room walls. "Get out of here!" she cried to Paige. "Get them out! Now!"

Once more, the Charmed One tried to orb herself, Harry and Cecile out of the living room. This time, she was successful. As the trio teleported away, Paige saw Artemus raise his hand and engulf Nimue in a column of fire.

_End of Chapter Two_


	4. Chapter 3

"**DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter 3_

The three survivors of the Halliwell manor attack teleported into the foyer of the McNeills' home. Much to Harry's dismay. "Why are we here?" he demanded.

"Sorry," Paige apologized. "It was the first place I could think of. I could take you somewhere else, if you want."

Harry took a deep breath. He did not want to be here. He did not want to be reminded that he was the only surviving member of his immediate family. Then an idea came to him and he quickly squelched his grief. "On second thought, not yet. I have something to find."

"Find what?"

Cecile spoke up. "How about Victor Bennett? He's still back at your house, Paige. With Artemus."

"Oh God! I forgot." Seconds later, the older Halliwells' father materialized next to the surviving Charmed One. "Victor, are you okay?"

Disbelief and horror mingled on the older man's face. "What the hell happened? What . . . what's going on?"

"Victor, I'm sorry," Paige began. "It's a long story. The demon who had killed Piper and Wyatt . . . he, uh . . . he . . ."

Impatient to search for the very item that could possibly save the rest of them, Harry blurted out, "He killed my family. All of them. He also killed Andre, Cole's mother, Leo and Phoebe."

"What?" Victor cried. "Phoebe? She's . . ."

Harry interrupted him. "Look, I'm sorry you had to hear the news this way, but we don't have time to lose. There's a chance that this Artemus might track us to this house."

While Victor grieved over the death of his remaining daughter, Harry started toward the curved staircase. "Where are you going?" Cecile demanded.

"To find Olivia's spell," Harry replied. "The one she used when she nearly killed Cole. It should be inside her French antique desk that we got from the penthouse after her death."

Cecile shot back, "Don't bother."

"What?" Harry paused on the staircase. He stared at the Vodoun priestess. "Why not? The spell is the only thing that can stop this guy. He has Cole's powers."

Shaking her head, Cecile replied, "I don't think so. In fact, I think this Artemus has Wyatt's powers."

Paige demanded, "What do you mean?"

"When . . . Artemus first appeared here and later at your home," Cecile continued, "he _orbed_. Like a whitelighter. I think he has Wyatt's abilities."

"Then who has Cole's powers?"

An impatient Victor retorted, "Who cares? I'm with Harry! You need to take this bastard out! And if there's a spell to do it . . ."

Harry added, "Only Olivia's spell can vanquish him."

"Harry, Mr. Bennett . . . stop! Think for a minute." The two men gazed impatiently at Cecile, who continued. "Even if we get our hands on that spell, we need the time to prepare it and set a trap for this Artemus character. We've already spent a good deal of time arguing and this Artemus is not wasting any time in hunting us down. I'm only surprised that he hasn't found us, yet."

A fifth voice added, "Your friend is right." The three magic practitioner and the Charmed Ones' father gasped at the sight of a light-brown skinned man with close-cropped hair and sharp cheekbones, standing next to Harry. "In fact, it won't be long before Artemus finds you."

"Who are you?" Paige demanded. "One of Artemus' lackeys?"

The newcomer merely smiled. "Fortunately for you, I am not. My name is Chasor. I work for what you might call a dominion spirit, whose name happens to be Maseriel. I was supposed to meet the McNeills, the Charmed Ones and two daemons named Nimue and Lohdon . . . here at this house. Apparently, I arrived too late."

"You certainly did," Cecile snapped back. "Where were you?"

Chasor shrugged his shoulders. "My apologies. I was detained. But you three are still alive and you need to deal with Artemus."

"I plan to deal with him all right," Harry retorted. "By vanquishing his ass. I can use the spell that Olivia had created for . . ."

The upper-level daemon dismissed Harry's words with a wave of his hand. "Killing Artemus will not solve the problem. If he survives, you'll be dead. If you kill him, the supernatural world will become even more chaotic. And you will never be able to retrieve the Staff of Aingeal. Lady Belthazor's killer had taken the staff into another dimension. And with Andre Morell dead, Mrs. Morell," he nodded at Cecile, "will not be able to stop the Anasi Order from becoming too powerful. You need to do something else."

"Like what?" Mr. Bennett demanded.

Before Chasor could answer, Cecile spoke up. "Go back in time." Everyone stared at her. "We need to go back in time and prevent Olivia and Cole's deaths. It's the best way."

_Time travel?_ Harry contemplated Cecile's idea. He realized that it could be done. After all, this Artemus character would not have moved against Piper and Wyatt, if Cole had been alive. "That's not a bad idea," he finally said.

"I agree," Chasor declared. He paused, before cocking his head upward. "I have to go. I believe that my Lord Maseriel has summoned me. Good luck." He teleported out of the room in a flash of light.

Paige cried out, "Wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Harry demanded.

"Get Chasor . . . or whatever his name, back here! Summon him. We need him to send up back to the past."

Cecile rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I have a way sending us back through time."

"What we need is the Power of Three!" Paige insisted. The other two stared at her. "Hel-lo? We're talking about time travel. We don't have enough power between the three of us for a spell."

Cecile shook her head, as she retorted, "You and your sisters had some curious notions about magic. It's not always about sheer power, Paige. You also have to consider other matters – the right words, the right objects, source . . ." She paused and cocked her head.

"What is it?" Harry asked. Then he heard voices in his head. One of the voices belonged to Artemus. "Jesus! He's here! Aretemus. And a few friends."

"They must be in the drawing room," Cecile added. "Quick! Upstairs!" The two witches and the Vodou priestess rushed upstairs to the second floor. Cecile led the younger pair to her bedroom. "Before Piper and Wyatt's deaths, I considered the possibility of going back in time to prevent Cole and Olivia's deaths. Harry, draw a circle. Use anything you can find."

Harry glanced around the room and found a yellow highlighter on the night stand on the left side of the bed. He could imagine his mother or Davies' reactions to seeing a yellow mark on the sandalwood floor. But . . . He threw back the rug in front of the bed and used the highlighter to draw a circle. "Now what?"

"Here." Cecile handed over a crystallite rock to Harry. She gave a second one to Paige. "Everyone, stand inside the circle. We're each going to place one rock at the points that'll form a triangle inside." The voice grew nearer. Harry heard footsteps on the staircase. "At the count of three. One . . ."

Paige protested, "Wait! This is your spell for . . .?"

"Not now, Paige! Okay. Trust me." Cecile took a deep breath. "Take us back to March 3, 2004." Harry and the two women each placed their rocks at their designated points on the circle. Bright lights formed a circle around the trio. At that moment, Harry saw the doorknob move. Before the door could swing open, the lights blinded Harry; as he, Paige and Cecile disappeared into time.

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His name was Isen. And he was a daemon – a spirit guide assigned to determine the fates of Olivia, Cole, Piper and Wyatt's spirits. He led the three adults and the toddler across the park's wide lawn. They came upon what looked like a large chestnut tree. "Have a seat," he politely suggested. "The grass is clean."

The newcomers glanced at each other briefly. Then they slowly sank to the ground. Olivia and Cole sat closely next to each other. Piper, who still held Wyatt in her arms, sat opposite the couple. "So, why are we here?" the Charmed One demanded.

"We are here to determine the next destinations of your souls. Your spirits," Isen declared cheerfully. "Think of this place like a supernatural or spiritual way-station for the souls of the dead. Once you are through with me, your souls will move on to a higher existence, remain in limbo for a while or be reborn into another sentient being."

A long pause surround the group, as the two witches and the half-daemon exchanged more looks. "Why is Cole here?" Piper asked, taking Olivia by surprise. The half-daemon stared at the Charmed One. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as hostile or anything like that. It's just . . . I thought all demons go to the Wasteland after they're, uh . . ."

"Killed?" Olivia finished.

Piper's face turned pink. "Well . . . uh, yeah."

Isen calmly explained, "Not all daemons end up in the Wasteland, Miss Halliwell. Belthazor had ended up there due to the fact that the Source's essence was inside his body when you and your sisters . . ."

"Okay. Yeah. I get it." Piper's face turned a deeper shade of pink. She murmured to Cole, "Sorry." The half-daemon merely responded with a brief smile. Then Piper continued, "But why . . . I mean, Mom, Grams and Prue all ended up in the Whitelighter Realm. Why didn't Wyatt and me?"

The daemon gave the Charmed One a puzzled frown. "Why would you want to end up there?" He turned to Olivia. "Did you expected to end up with the Whitelighters, Lady Belthazor?"

_Lady Belthazor?_ Olivia shook her head and replied, "I never really thought about where I would end up. And if I have to be frank, the Whitelighters Realm is one place I do not want to be."

"You have nothing to fear, Lady Belthazor," Isen said with a twinkle in his dark eyes. "And by the way, none of Miss Halliwell's family ever became whitelighters, either. Her mother and grandmother merely became stuck in limbo in the Whitelighters Realm. As for her sister . . ."

Confusion whirled in Piper's eyes. "Wait a minute! What do you mean . . . stuck in limbo? The Whitelighter Realm is _limbo_?"

"For your mother and grandmother, yes. After all, they are not whitelighters. Nor have they moved on to a higher plan . . . or been reborn into new bodies." Piper opened her mouth to speak, but Isen continued, "I suppose you believe that the Whitelighter Realm is the highest plane of existence, Miss Halliwell. But from my point of view, it is relatively minor. After all, many whitelighters have failed to rise above their previous emotional state. The magic of witches, wizards and others can affect them. However, your magic would have no effect upon me, if I were to visit your former world. Not even Belthazor's powers could effect me.

Olivia spoke up. "You said that Piper's mother and grandmother were stuck in limbo. What happened to Prue?"

Isen explained that Prue's essence had been reborn into a new body. "Mind you, she had failed to achieve self-realization. But at least she learned to put her old life behind her."

The daemon's words seemed to have angered Piper. "Meaning what? Are you saying that Prue had decided to forget us? Forget Phoebe and me?"

"Once she had realized that the Power of Three would continue with your half-sister, she finally let go," Isen coolly explained.

Piper retorted, "Well, the Power of Three no longer exists without me. I'm not ready to . . . move on. I would rather be sent back."

Olivia met Cole's gaze. The half-daemon rolled his eyes. Both knew that Piper had just made a futile request. Isen verified their assumption when he asked, "Are you saying, Miss Halliwell, that you would like to be reborn into another body?"

"I want to return as Piper Halliwell," the Charmed One demanded in a clipped tone. "With me dead, there is no more Power of Three. And I doubt that I have another half-sister in existence."

Isen regarded Piper with hard eyes. Eyes that Olivia found slightly intimidating. "The Power of Three no longer exists, Miss Halliwell. Did you honestly believe that it would last forever?" Again, the Charmed One became speechless. A slight smile curled Isen's mouth. "Of course you did. Like many sentient beings, you have great difficulty in letting go. In your case, you seemed to have raised this trait into a fine art." The daemon took Piper's silence as an opportunity to turn his attention to Cole. "And what about you, Belthazor? Do you want to return, as well? You have already done it once. And you end up losing Miss Halliwell's sister."

Cole merely heaved a sigh and said pointedly, "I'm fine. Trust me."

"Hmmm. You have no regrets, whatsoever?"

"Of course I have some regrets," Cole retorted. Another sigh escaped from his mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound hostile. I just . . . well, I obviously made some bad choices in my life. Working for the Source . . . and other things." His face assumed a mask.

A long, silent pause followed. Then Isen added, "What about your mother? Nimue? Do you have any regrets about her?"

A sheen of frost covered Cole's blue eyes. "What about her?"

"Have you ever wondered why she had killed your father?"

Another long, silent pause followed. Unable to keep her mouth shut, Olivia said, "I've wondered." Cole glared at her. "What? Well I have. It never made sense to me that she had waited so long to kill him. You were two months shy of your fourth birthday, when she killed your dad. I mean . . . why did she wait so long?"

"I don't . . . I don't know why!" Cole said through clenched teeth.

Isen coolly asked, "When did you plan on asking her? Or did you ever plan to?"

"I . . ." Cole paused, as he took a deep breath. "I don't know. I guess a part of me was afraid to learn the truth. My Uncle Marbus always believed that Mother had loved my father."

Nodding, Isen added, "She did."

"Then why did she kill him?"

The daemon's eyes grew opaque. "What makes you think she had any choice?"

Confusion whirled in Cole's eyes. "What are you saying? That my mother had no choice but to kill Father?" He scoffed loudly. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why? Because you would rather believe the worst about her?" Isen demanded. "Is it still much easier to believe Raynor's lies about your parents' relationship, rather than face the possibility that you had been wrong . . . for so many years?"

A speechless Cole stared in shock at the other daemon. Before he could speak, Isen directed his eyes at Olivia. Much to her discomfort. "I supposed you're going to ask me some life-altering question," she said.

"I do have one question, Lady Belthazor," Isen commented. "Why were you so reluctant to participate in the Staff of Aingeal ceremony?"

Olivia blinked. "Huh?"

"The ceremony for the selection of the new bearer of the Aingeal Staff. Why were you so reluctant to participate in it? Belthazor literally had to needle you into participating in the ceremony? Why?"

The redhead merely stared at the daemon for several moments. Then she felt a sensation . . . a feeling that someone had joined them. She glanced to her left and spotted another being standing to her left. This being happened to be in the guise of a human female with bronze skin and long black hair. She wore a pale cream kaftan. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Isen. We need to talk. Now."

A slight frown appeared on Isen's face. He rose to his feet and drew his colleague aside from the others. The two indulged in an animated conversation that attracted Olivia's attention. She caught certain words like _"mistake"_ and _"sent back"_, but failed to hear anything else.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Piper commented.

With a shake of her head, Olivia replied that she could only hear a few words. "I heard the words _'sent back'_. They could be talking about us."

"They are," Cole added. "There's a chance that we might be sent back."

"But why?" Piper's question drew stares from Olivia and Cole. "What?"

Olivia replied, "A few minutes ago, we got the impression that you wanted to go back."

"I do," Piper insisted. "But I'm just . . . you know, curious."

Cole sighed. "All I know is that someone has gone back in time to prevent our deaths. Something bad must have happened."

Piper muttered, "And you don't think us getting killed wasn't bad?"

Rolling his eyes, Cole added, "Something probably a lot worse."

Isen broke away from the other daemon and returned to the group. "I have . . . an emergency. Which means I will have to postpone our little session."

A part of Olivia felt slightly relieved. But she demanded, "For how long? Several decades from now?" Isen gave her a questioning look. "Cole told us that someone has traveled back in time to prevent our deaths."

"Belthazor has excellent hearing," the daemon murmured with a sigh. "Did he overhear anything else?"

Cole stood to his feet. So did Olivia and Piper. "No, I didn't. What's going on?"

Isen quickly answered, "Someone has returned to the past to prevent your deaths. Now, I suggest that the three of you and the little one . . ."

"What else is going on?" Cole continued. "What happened after our deaths?"

A long pause followed before Isen said, "I'm sorry, Belthazor. But that is not your concern at the moment. Now . . . if you would just follow that path to your right, it will lead you to a lovely community filled with museums, restaurants and clubs. No costs at all. Or you can hang around the park a little longer and enjoy some of our nature paths."

"What if we decide not to leave you, until you tell us what's going on?" Piper said in adamant voice.

Both Olivia and Cole stared at Piper. Then they shifted their gazes toward Isen, who merely stared at the Charmed One with an enigmatic smile. The strained silence ended when the daemon waved one hand. A second later, Olivia found herself standing in the middle of what looked like a pleasant and colorful suburban business district . . . along with Cole, Piper and Wyatt. Olivia turned to the Charmed One and remarked, "Well Piper . . . I guess he answered your question."

Piper's mouth formed a moue.

_END OF CHAPTER 3_


	5. Chapter 4

"**DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter 4_

_**March 3, 2004 . . . **_A ring of light appeared on the floor inside the semi-furnished bedroom. Seconds later, three people materialized inside of it. Paige glanced around with mild dismay. "We're back! We haven't gone anywhere."

"Wanna bet?" Cecile shot back. "Haven't you noticed something? Listen."

Both the Charmed One and Harry paused momentarily. "No footsteps," the latter declared. "And no voices."

Paige could not believe it. "You mean to say that we've traveled back through time? But to when?"

Cecile started toward the bedroom door. "We'll soon find out." The two witches followed her.

"I don't get it," Paige continued, as the trio marched along the second-floor hallway. "A time travel spell requires very powerful magic. Like the Power of Three. We shouldn't have been able . . ."

A sigh left the Vodoun priestess' mouth. She paused momentarily. "Paige, magic isn't always about brute force. How many times do I have to tell you? It's about doing it properly . . . regardless of powerful any magic practitioner is. I think you and your sisters need to rethink about how you practice magic." She added in a low voice, "After we reset time and save Olivia and Cole."

Paige shot a quick glance at Harry and noticed the smirk that briefly curled his lips. Asshole. She would get even. Meanwhile, she and her asshole of a boyfriend followed Cecile downstairs to the manor's foyer. The lack of demons running afoot told her that Cecile's spell had worked. They also encountered the McNeills' manservant, Davies.

"Mr. Harry?" Davies regarded the youngest McNeill with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Harry regarded the manservant with relief. "Davies! Boy, am I glad to see you!" One of Davies' eyebrows rose questioningly. "I mean . . . I live here, of course."

"I understand that sir," Davies continued. "But what are you doing _here_? Now. Just two minutes ago, you had called to inform me that you would not be joining the family for supper, tonight. Something about spending the evening with Ms. Matthews." His gaze rested upon Cecile. "And I didn't realize that Miss Cecile . . . I mean, Mrs. Morrell was here in town."

"Ooops!" Harry took a deep breath. "Okay, Davies, uh . . ."

Cecile blurted out, "Davies, we're from the future." Both brows rose toward the manservant's hairline. "Two weeks from the future. A pretty horrible one, at that."

The manservant paused. Then, "I see. Is there anything you need, sir?" he asked Harry.

"No," the redhead replied. "Just the nearest telephone. Excuse us." Harry led the others into the library. There, he telephoned the police state where Olivia worked. One of her co-workers, an inspector named Marcus Anderson replied that Olivia, Scott Li and Darryl had reported to a call. "Do you know where?" Harry asked. Several seconds passed before he bid a frustrated good-bye and hung up. Harry informed the two women that it was the police policy not to reveal the locations of crime scenes to civilians – except for the media.

"I'm not surprised," Cecile heaved a sigh. "I just wish I could remember where Olivia had been shot."

"_Shot?"_ Davies' tone expressed surprise. "Miss Olivia has been shot?"

Paige curtly replied, "She will be . . . very soon. Unless we can find a way to find her."

The manservant gave a slight cough. "Well . . . there is Miss Cecile."

"Huh?" The Vodoun priestess frowned.

"You are a seer, are you not?" Davies continued. "I'm sure you can find something in Miss Olivia's old room to channel."

Cecile shook her head in self disgust. "Of course! What was I thinking?"

Harry started toward the door. "I'll take you there." The two women and the other man followed the red-haired witch out of the library and up the stairs to the second floor. He led them to one of the rooms on the hallway's right side. "Here we are." He opened the door.

"Nice," Paige commented, as her eyes drank in the tastefully decorated room. Painted in light mint green, it possessed an English-style highboy and a four-poster bed. "What do you want to use to channel Livy's wherea . . .?" She broke off, as a gasp escaped from the other woman's mouth. "Cecile?"

The Vodoun priestess opened her mouth and heaved a sigh. "I think I know where Olivia is. In an alley, off Powell Street. At least I think it's Powell Street. And there's another Olivia with her."

"So, Darryl was right!" Harry exclaimed. "Let's go." He started toward the door.

Paige cried out, "Hey! I can orb us from here."

Harry grabbed her arm. "I don't think so, sweetheart." He dragged her toward the doorway. "Protection spell around the house. Remember?"

Dammit! She had forgotten about the McNeills' spell that prevented demons and other magical baddies from making surprise appearances on the estate. Only Cole and Wyatt were powerful enough to overcome the spell.

The quartet finally reached the edge of the front lawn. Harry turned to Davies and asked him to make an attempt to reach Olivia or Darryl. "Ready?" he asked Paige, his hand now enclosed within hers. Cecile grabbed the Charmed One's other hand. Seconds later, Paige orbed them from the McNeills' lawn.

8888888888888888888888

In an alley off Powell Street, Olivia shot a quick glance over her shoulder, before returning her attention to the doppelganger that stood before her. A visitor from a parallel dimension, this Olivia had arrived to prevent an alternate of a cousin from stealing the Aingeal Staff now in her possession. "Okay. I'll help you just as soon as I deal with this homicide," she said, referring to the death of an informant she used. Then Olivia paused, as an idea came to her. "Do you know anything about this?"

The doppelganger regarded her with confused eyes. "Know anything about what?"

"The two bodies in the other alley," Olivia said in a hard voice. "One of them is Lee Ramos. Is that name familiar to you . . . in your dimension?"

Green eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God! Lee is dead?" Then she shook her head. "What am I saying? It was bound to happen . . . knowing Lee."

"I'm not so sure in this case," Olivia said. "This Lee was found dead with a hole in his chest. Someone . . . had incinerated his heart."

The doppelganger regarded Olivia with suspicious eyes. "Wait a minute. I had nothing to do with that. I had followed you from the station. The only person I can think of . . ."

Olivia sighed. "Fiona. Of course." The witch spoke of her cousin, Fiona McNeill Craig. "She had probably killed Lee to lure me here. I'm sorry. My paranoia got the best of me. I keep forgetting that you're actually . . . me." She glanced around the alley. "I just hope that Fiona is still not here."

"She might be on her way to wherever you live."

A derisive snort from Olivia followed. "And what is she going to do? Break in? I doubt it, considering that Cole has that apartment warded . . ." She broke off, recalling Phoebe's premonition. "Oh my God! Cole! Does your Fiona have a shapeshifting ability?"

"No," the doppelganger replied. "But I'm certain that she knows a spell or two. Why?"

"Oh my God!" Olivia inhaled sharply. "Listen, why don't you hide somewhere for a few minutes, while I finish up here. Then we'll go to my apartment."

A voice cried out her name. Darryl's voice.

The other Olivia suggested that she could go to the apartment to make sure that Fiona has not arrived. "I'll need your key."

Shaking her head, Olivia replied, "That's okay. I should be finished with this case before . . ."

Before Olivia had time to think, the doppelganger whipped out a Glock .29 pistol. The witch spotted a muzzler on the pistol's nozzle, before she felt a sharp pain strike her stomach. "Wha . . .?"

"Sorry," the other Olivia nearly whispered. Her face assumed a cold mask. She fired a second bullet, which struck the witch's chest. The pain had become unbearable for Olivia, as she sank to the ground.

Now lying on her left side, Olivia struggled to fight through the pain and haze. "Wha . . . why?"

"Because I'm the one who wants the staff," the doppelganger coldly declared. "Our cousin Fiona – at least in my dimension – no longer exists, thanks to me." She knelt beside Olivia and forced the latter, flat on her back. She proceeded to remove the witch's keys, cell phone and service pistol. "I'll need these." Then she grabbed Olivia's right hand and removed the wedding ring. "Something tells me that I'll need this, as well."

Again, Darryl's voice cried out Olivia's name.

The doppelganger stood up. She aimed her pistol at the wounded police officer. "Shame. If only you had given me those keys."

Despite the haze and pain that enveloped her, Olivia heard a bottle smash against the ground. The other Olivia whirled around. As the warlock confronted what turned out to be a derelict, Olivia struggled to recall her old teleportation spell. She closed her eyes – not hard to do – and murmured to herself:

_"Winds of the North, East, South . . . and West,_

_From this . . . point of departure._

_Carry me henceforth away _

_From . . . where . . . evil now . . . stands." _

It was the best she could do. But it worked. Olivia felt her body dematerialize from the hard ground. A second later, she rematerialized into . . . Olivia sniffed the air and shivered with disgust. A rank odor now surrounded her. The ground beneath her felt loose and lumpy. She opened her eyes and took in the dark walls that surrounded her. The black plastic bag just inches away from her face told her that she had just teleported inside a garbage bin.

Olivia closed her eyes and tried to teleport again. But the increasing pain and haze made it difficult for her to concentrate. A sigh escaped from her lips. She realized with horror that her life was about to end inside a garbage dumpster.

_END OF CHAPTER 4_


	6. Chapter 5

"**DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter 5_

The two witches and the mambo teleported into the middle of a small alley. "Well, here we are," Paige declared. "Only I don't see anyone."

Harry added, "Perhaps we got here before everyone else."

Cecile glanced around. An uneasy feeling struck her that this was not the alley she had seen in her vision. "Or perhaps . . . this is the wrong alley." She walked toward the alley's edge and glanced to her right. The Vodou priestess saw police cars and what seemed to be two ambulances converge at the edge of another alley, two blocks away. "We're definitely in the wrong alley."

Both Harry and Paige joined her. "Shit!" the redhead exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Paige assured them. "I'll just orb us to the other one."

"Make sure that we're not seen," Cecile instructed. She took one of Paige's hands. Harry took the other. Seconds later, she orbed them out of the alley.

They found themselves materializing next to a dumpster in another alley. They also found Darryl Morris and Scott Yi, standing over an inert figure. "Oh my God!" Paige cried, as she rushed toward the two detectives. "We're too late!"

Cecile and Harry joined them. The inert figure turned out to be a dead tramp. "Shot twice," Scott commented. "One to the heart and the other to the head. Very professional." He paused to stare at the newcomers. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Good question," Darryl added. He stared at Cecile. "Olivia had never said anything about you visiting San Francisco."

A sigh left Cecile's mouth. "That's because Olivia doesn't know I'm here. I assume that you're looking for her."

"Yeah," Darryl replied. "She disappeared on us, after we got here. Only, we found this guy."

Scott added, "And blood stains over here." He stood in a spot, not far from the dead man. "Along with shell casings."

"Oh my God! She must have shot Olivia by now!" Harry cried.

The two detectives stared at the male witch. "Okay, what's going on?" Darryl demanded.

"We're from the future and we'll explain it all later," Cecile replied curtly. "First, we've got to find Olivia." A small murmur or groan breached her psyche. It sounded as if the sound came from . . . She walked away from the others. Again, the sound permeated her mind. Cecile thought she heard Paige call out her name, but she ignored the latter. Then Harry joined her.

"You heard it too," the red-haired witch commented. "The voice." He stared at Cecile with wide eyes. Olivia's eyes.

The pair made their way to a junction where the alley met with another that ran horizontally. Cecile spotted a dumpster near the edge of the other alley. "Over there!" she cried. With Harry, she rushed toward the dumpster. So did Paige and the two detectives. The Vodou priestess peeked inside the dumpster and found a pale and bloodied Olivia. "She's over here!"

The others raced toward the dumpster. Scott reached it first and peered inside. "Oh shit! She's barely alive. Step back. I'll get her out." Scott held out his hands and murmured a few words in Mandarin. Then to Cecile's surprise, Olivia's body levitated out of the dumpster and settled on the ground, next to it.

Cecile and Harry immediately knelt beside the badly wounded woman. "Oh God! Livy!" Harry exclaimed. "Livy?"

"Ha . . . Har-r-r-ry," Olivia whispered. Blood gushed out of her mouth. She began to cough.

Cecile cried, "Paige!" The Charmed One knelt by her side. "You're half-whitelighter, right? You can heal her."

Paige's dark eyes grew wide with doubt. "I don't know. I mean . . . I'm only _half_-whitelighter. I can't heal like Leo."

"Well, you have to try," Harry insisted. "You know Livy won't make it to the hospital."

"Maybe we should just . . ."

Darryl cried out, taking everyone by surprise. "Hey! Paige! Just do it! If you can't heal her, we'll just take her to one of the ambulances."

A sigh left Paige's mouth. Cecile held her breath as the Charmed One knelt beside the wounded Olivia. A light emitted from the younger woman's hands, as she placed them over the redhead's gunshot wounds. Seconds later, Olivia's body jerked, as she inhaled deeply. Cecile noticed that the gunshot wounds and the blood gurgling from Olivia's mouth disappeared.

Harry helped his sister to her feet. Paige stood up. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "I actually did it! I actually managed to heal someone on my own!"

"That's great," Olivia murmured. She paused to stare at Harry. Then her gaze fell upon the Vodou priestess. "Cecile? What are you doing here in San Francisco?"

Before she could control herself, tears pricked at Cecile's eyes. She enveloped her best friend into a bear hug. "If you only knew," she whispered back.

"Knew what?" Olivia withdrew from her friend's embrace and gave the latter a wary look. "Did you have a vision of me being killed . . . back in New Orleans?"

A sigh left Harry's mouth, as he drew Olivia into his arms. "You did die, Livy," he said. "In another timeline. Paige, Cecile and me . . . we're from the future. Nearly two weeks from now."

A long silence followed, as Olivia stared at her brother with wide eyes. "I was dead?"

"Yeah."

Darryl exclaimed, "Damn! No wonder you guys knew where to find her."

"We didn't know," Paige replied. "At first. In fact, in the other timeline, you and Scott," she nodded at the third police officer, were able to find Livy. But she . . . um, she . . ."

Cecile let out a gust of breath. "She had died on the way to the hospital."

Harry picked up the story. "The killer . . ."

"My other self," Olivia added. Everyone stared at her. "It was my other self who killed . . . I mean, nearly killed me. She wants the Aingeal Staff for herself." The redhead glanced at her right hand. "She even took my wedding ring. And my keys."

Her friend's last words reminded Cecile that they had another person to save. "Oh my God! Cole! We have to get back to your place!"

"What?" Now Olivia looked upset. "What are you talking about? What about Cole?"

Harry explained. "If your other self is the killer, then she'll run into Cole at the penthouse and kill him. Strip away his powers and stab him with a knife."

"Oh Goddess! I have to get home." Olivia turned to the Charmed One. "Paige, could you give us a lift?"

"Sure thing," Paige replied. "Just grab hold of me."

Darryl cried out, "Wait a minute! What about the two other bodies we found . . . and this guy?" He pointed at the dead tramp.

"Just tell everyone that you had sent Olivia on an errand," Scott suggested. He nodded at the three witches and Cecile. "Need any help?"

Olivia shook her head. "I don't think so. We'll be fine." Seconds later, Paige teleported herself, the two McNeills and Cecile out of the alley.

_END OF CHAPTER 5_


	7. Chapter 6

**"DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter 6_

Once Cole had ended his call from Phoebe Halliwell, Olivia held out the doctored drink. "How about that martini?" she said with a smile.

Cole frowned. "You got dressed?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "You answered that phone call."

"Oh, I see. This is punishment."

Widening her smile, Olivia replied, "Consider this your chance to make up for interrupting some very promising sex. Starting with a drink." She handed the martini over to Cole. Then she saluted the half-daemon with her own glass. "Bottoms up."

Both Olivia and Cole took a sip of their drinks. Through narrowed eyes, the warlock closely observed the half-daemon. To her relief, he failed to notice anything odd about his martini. "Excellent," he proclaimed. "Quite good." He finished the rest of his drink. After placing his empty glass on the side table, he said, "Now . . . about finishing what we had started . . ."

"I haven't finished my martini," Olivia protested.

Cole slowly approached her, wearing a seductive smile that nearly caused Olivia's heart to flip. "Do you mean to say that you're more interested in that martin . . ." His expression suddenly changed before a gasp left his mouth. "What the . . .?" He clutched his stomach.

Olivia stared at him. "What's wrong? Cole?"

The half-daemon fell to his knees. "There's something . . ." He stared at Olivia with eyes wide with disbelief. "Wha . . . what did you . . . put . . . in my drink?"

"An onion," Olivia blithely replied. "As both of us usually prefer our martini." Cole cried out in pain, as a black cloud seeped out of his body. Olivia grabbed an empty glass bottle from the coffee table and held it out. The cloud immediately seeped into it. "And a power stripping potion. Considering your immense powers, I had to give it an extra kick."

Breathing heavily, Cole demanded to know why she had stripped away his powers. "Oh God! Either you're under a spell or . . . you're not Olivia." He spoke the last words in a whisper. "But you must be . . . her. You . . . Everything about you . . ."

"I am Olivia." The warlock used her telekinesis to force Cole flat on his back. He stared at her with sheer terror. She then kneeled over him, straddling his waist. "I . . . am Olivia Jocelin McNeill. And I'm certainly not under a spell." She paused dramatically. Cole struggled to sit up, but Olivia's telekinesis kept him pinned to the floor. "I'm from another dimension. An alternate dimension. In my world, I'm a warlock. As for your Olivia," she removed an object from her pants pocket, "I had put one bullet in her chest and another in her gut about less than an hour ago." She pressed a button on the object and a stiletto snapped upward. "I believe she should be dead by now. And you're about to join her."

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The two McNeills, Paige and Cecile orbed into the middle of the small foyer outside of the Turner penthouse. "Okay, we're here," Harry commented. "Only you don't have a key. The other Olivia took it from you."

"I can orb us all inside," Paige said.

Olivia shook her head. "No, you can't. Besides," she bent down and lifted a corner of the doormat, "I have a spare key."

The other three heaved collective sighs of relief, as Olivia retrieved a key. After unlocking the door, she swung it wide open . . . and came upon a sight that alarmed her. She saw the other Olivia poised to plunge a stiletto into an inert Cole's chest.

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"What the hell?" the doppelgänger cried out. The moment she uttered those three words, Olivia used her telekinesis to whisk the stiletto from the warlock's grip. Then she sent the other Olivia flying against a wall near the kitchen. The doppelgänger crumbled to the floor, barely conscious.

"Cole!" Olivia cried, as she rushed to her husband's side. She knelt beside him, noticing the unbuttoned shirt that exposed his chest.

The Harry said, "Look at this!" Olivia glanced up at her brother. He held a small bottle that contained thick, black smoke. "This must be Cole's powers."

"It is," the half-daemon groaned. "Could someone help me up?"

Both Olivia and Harry struggled to help Cole to his feet. When they finished, they heard Paige cry out, "Livy! Look . . ." Gasps and cries filled the room, as Olivia felt her body fly toward the wall near the penthouse's hallway. Her body hit the wall with a sickening thud, before it fell upon two others that belonged to Cole and Harry.

The other Olivia strode menacingly toward the fallen and muttered, "I've had enough of you all." She rose one hand in a threatening manner, before she cried out in pain. The warlock staggered back, clutching her head.

Olivia glanced around and spotted Cecile staring intently at her doppelgänger. Which only meant one thing - her best friend seemed to be pulling a telepathic whammy on the other Olivia. "Keep it going, Cecile. Perhaps you can knock . . ." At that moment, a vase zoomed past Olivia's face and struck Cecile on the side of her head. The Vodou priestess fell to the floor.

Harry directed his gaze at the doppelgänger. Once again, the latter cried out in pain. "Got her!" the younger McNeill exclaimed. Then he found himself thrown bodily against the living room fireplace.

Olivia spotted the bottle containing Cole's powers on the floor. Her doppelgänger also noticed it and used her telekinesis to grab it. Olivia turned to the Charmed One. "Paige!"

Who needed no further argument. Paige teleported the bottle out of the other Olivia's hands and into hers. Olivia grabbed the bottle, unscrewed its top and tossed the contents at Cole's feet. The dark smoke slowly curled out of the jar and seeped into the half-daemon's body.

The other Olivia's eyes flew open in shock. She immediately fetched her purse, using telekinesis. Then in a swift and sweeping motion, she removed a round object from the purse and muttered a few words in Gaelic. A portal materialized inches away from the warlock, before she stepped inside and disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Paige demanded.

Cole replied, "Back to her dimension." Olivia glanced at her husband, as he rose to his feet. "For good, I hope."

A low moan emitted from Cecile's mouth. Olivia rushed forward to help her friend. "Cecile, my God! Are you okay?" She noticed the slight bruise near Cecile's hairline. "I guess not."

"I'm fine," Cecile replied with a slight groan. After she rose to her feet, she glanced around. "What happened to the other you?"

Paige said, "She's gone. Escaped." The Charmed One and Cole helped a groaning Harry to his feet. "However . . ." she grinned first at Cole and then, at Olivia, ". . . you two are alive. And that means Piper won't get killed."

The last comment took Olivia by surprise. "My other self killed Piper?"

"No, not you," Harry answered in a hoarse voice. "It was a daemon Someone that Cole's mother knew . . . and hated. His name was Armatus." He shook his head. "I mean Arte . . ."

Cole's voice rang with disbelief. "You mean Artemus? Of the That can't be! He's in the Stygian Abyss."

"The what?"

The half-daemon explained that the Stygian Abyss was some kind of maximum security prison for the supernatural or any magic practitioner. "Daemons, humans, and other beings have been sent there. Both good, evil or otherwise have sentenced beings to the Abyss." His voice reassumed its tone of disbelief. "But that's not possible. No one has ever escaped from the Stygian Abyss."

Cecile added pointedly, "And no one has ever left the Wasteland . . . until you did two years ago. We think the other Olivia made a deal with this Artemus in order to find this place. Which means that once he finds out that she has failed, he's going to be looking over his shoulder. He's all yours." She turned to Paige and Harry. "Let's go."

Harry gave Olivia a bear hug. "Welcome back, Sis." He nodded at the half-daemon. "Cole."

"We'll see you guys in the future," Paige added. Then she, Harry and Cecile formed a circle. The trio each placed a dagger on the floor – daggers that looked very familiar to Olivia – and vanished in a circle of light.

Olivia glanced at her husband and noticed that his bare chest remained exposed. "Your shirt is unbuttoned," she said and walked toward the bedroom.

_End of Chapter Six_


	8. Chapter 7

**"DEATH UNDONE"**

_Chapter 7_

Artemus' eyes glanced up from the file on his desk, as his personal assistant, Prax, entered his office at the Magan Corporation building. He noticed the anxious expression on the other daemon's face and sighed. "I gather you have bad news for me, Prax?"

Wariness crept into Prax's eyes. "I'm afraid so, sir. It's . . . it's about the warlock, Miss McNeill." He paused.

"Well?" Artemus demanded. "What about her? Is she dead?"

Prax continued, "I don't know, sir. At least Klymus doesn't know. Miss McNeill had dismissed him after they had gained access to Belthazor's penthouse. Also, Klymus had checked on Lady Belthazor's condition after Miss McNeill shot her. She has not been checked into any hospital. Nor has her body been found. However . . ." Again, he paused. "However, he did see a familiar red-haired woman leave the building after waiting near the apartment building for nearly ninety minutes. Whether she was Lady Belthazor or Miss McNeill, he doesn't know."

Another heartfelt sigh left Artemus' lips. "I guess we'll never know what happened to Miss McNeill. Too bad. I rather liked her. Anything else?"

"I've also received word from the alchemist Argoth. He believes there is a chance that a potion to vanquish Belthazor might be possible."

The news brightened Artemus' mood considerably. "Does Argoth have any idea when the potion will be ready?"

Prax shook his head. "He didn't give me a specific time. But, Argoth believes that it might not be long. Probably less than two mortal months."

Artemus leaned back into his chair, with a half-smile curling his lips. "I can be patient."

**Manhattan, New York; Alternate Dimension**

The door to Olivia's Manhattan penthouse slammed shut. She remained seated on the living room sofa, staring ahead at the fireplace. A pair of lips pressed against her right cheek. Lips that belonged to her lover.

"Hey," the half-daemon greeted quietly. "How did it go?"

Olivia heaved a sigh. "Badly." She continued to stare at the fireplace.

"So . . . you didn't get the staff?" Seconds passed before Cole joined Olivia on the sofa. He added, "Of course you didn't. What happened?"

Quietly, Olivia told Cole about her experiences in the alternate dimension – her discovery of the marriage between the alternate Olivia and Cole, her difficulties in finding the Turners' new residence, the brief alliance with Artemus of the . . .

"Artemus?" Cole's face expressed shock. "He's alive in that dimension?"

Olivia nodded. "Alive and kicking. He hopes to become the new Source. Only, two things stand in his way – Lohdon of the Fornost Order and your doppelganger."

"ME?" Cole shook his head. "I mean . . . my other self? Why him?"

After a brief hesitation, Olivia told her lover about his doppelgänger's death at the hands of the Charmed Ones, the latter's resurrection and new magical strength. "The other Cole is an attorney for some wine grower from the Napa Valley. For some reason, Artemus wants something that is buried on this client's land. He wants it desperately. But since Cole is this Giovanni character's attorney and protector, Artemus can't get it. He thinks this object will make him the new Source."

"This guy is stronger . . . than the Source?" A hard edge crept into Cole's voice.

Olivia replied, "Stronger than the old Source or any future Source. He is also stronger than Piper Halliwell's son, who is the strongest witch ever. Stronger than the Charmed Ones."

"It's the other Cole I'm interested in."

A sigh left Olivia's mouth. "So . . . what are you saying?"

Cole gave her a cool, long look. "Are you planning on returning to that particular dimension?"

"I don't know, Cole. I mean . . . I've tried twice to get my hands on the Aingeal staff in that particular dimension. I'm beginning to think that place is unlucky."

A long silence followed before Cole added, "What about this other Cole's powers? Don't you think they're worth a return trip?" Wide-eyed, Olivia slowly directed her gaze upon him. "After all, you know what they say. Third time's the charmed."

**THE END**


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